Good morning. Good “very early” morning. I rose at 4am this morning, well rested and ready to take on the world. Jet lag is one of the oddest things I have ever encountered. As your circadian rhythm is totally upended some strange things happen indeed. It’s been 5 days since I returned yet my body is still processing the change. Day by day it gets better though, and in the meantime, I enjoy the peace, solitude and quiet of the very early morning hours.
It’s so good to be back. I have resumed my normal morning routine, I make coffee, I pray, I read God’s Word, I study my Biblical commentary and then I end up here. Sitting at my computer to write the 5MC and to process what God has spoken to me. It’s a pattern that feels so comfortable as I am now in the 15th month of it. When I think about a daily regimen of studying God’s Word I think about the slow and steady growth of a tree. When I was growing up in small town Texas, I vividly remember a specific tree on my Grandad’s farm. A fence had been built precariously close to a tree, it’s metal fencepost a breath away. Over time as the tree grew and expanded, its girth enveloped the post, actually growing to encompass it. I remember visiting that tree often as my brothers and I had our frequent jaunts into “the woods” to shoot BB guns and experience the wildness of this youthful wonderland. It was so odd to process what was before me. It took years and years to happen but over time the two had grown together. It’s no different with God’s Word. Through slow and steady growth, it becomes part of you. And you become part of it. Slow and steady growth, one into the other. In fact, it makes me think of Psalms 1 that relates the deep study of the Word of God to a tree:
“but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalms 1:2-3
This morning as I sipped on my hot coffee, I looked carefully at Genesis chapter 28, so ready to go deep into God’s Word. To let Him usher me into His presence through the power of His Words and His Holy Spirit. Chapter 28 has Jacob on the run. He along with the help of his mother, Rebekah, had deceitfully stolen the birthright from His brother Esau in the previous chapter. As a result, his brother Esau is in a murderous rage. Rebekah overhears Esau’s plans of harm and warns Jacob. The result of his sin is great, and he has no choice but to flee. To run away. To leave his home, his mother, his father and all he has ever known. He covers 40 miles the first day as he makes great distance between himself and his brother. A brother that seems ready to take Jacob’s life for the great dishonor forced upon him.
But as Jacob flees, he has an encounter. As he lay on a rock for a pillow that night in the land of Haran, he has a dream sent from God. We know the dream as Jacob’s ladder. God visits Jacob as he sleeps and delivers a message for this man on the run. You see Jacob can run from men and he can run from His sin, but he cannot ever run from the Lord.
The same is oh, so true for us. There can be times in our lives where we flee. We are hyperaware of our transgressions against others and therefore against God. We in our shame, simply run. We make haste to create distance between ourselves and the wrongs we have committed. But the running from God many times does not include geographical distance. You see, we can run from God and not ever take a step.
Our spiritual connection to God is a miracle in itself. We might think at times that we are the ones that pursue God, but it is such the opposite. The Lord pursues us and if we're still long enough to acknowledge Him and His goodness, we can bask in His fellowship. But the sin nature that we were all born with can create quite the chasm. The guilt, the shame, and the relentless memories of our sin can cause us to flee. To get some distance from God. Our sin causes us to move from God. We run from God to somehow find a place of solace with our sin. It makes me recall Adam and Eve in the Garden. They walked with God daily until the introduction of sin into their lives. The next day God cannot find them as they have hidden themselves from Him. You see immediately sin caused them to run from God. They were the ones that moved, not God.
So, what to do when you find yourself in retreat from God? Well, in my experience it all has to do with how you deal with and address the sin in your life. The first step is how you see sin. Do you tolerate sin in your life? Do you see it as simply a part of life? A facet of life that is factual, unavoidable and just happens? Or do you see sin as exactly what it is…death. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) You see, sin allowed to run rampant in our lives will take us in only one direction, directly away from God. When sin entangles our life, we run from God. We are desperate to flee from God, unable to look into His pure, perfect face. The sin in your life must be dealt with.
So first you must learn to abolish sin. Hate it. Run from sin not from God. But we are sinful creatures by nature and sin will creep in. So, what to do then? You must deal with it, you cannot simply ignore it. I’ve seen so many lives spiral out of control because sin is not dealt with, it’s merely allowed to linger on unattended to. First you must admit your sin. Confess it to God. Of course, He already knows all about it, but there is repair in admittance. Think about it this way. If you lied to a good friend and hurt them would you apologize, or would you just forget about it and hope that it will simply repair itself? Well, naturally for there to be reconciliation you must admit your wrong, apologize and ask their forgiveness. It is no different with God. In order to protect the beautiful fellowship with the Holy Spirit you must have honesty in the relationship.
If you find yourself far from God today because you have been running, you can repair the relationship. You can draw near to God once again. Deal honestly with the sin in your life. Look at yourself in the mirror and deal with it. Talk to your Heavenly Father about it. Apologize and ask His forgiveness. He is rich in mercy and abounds in forgiveness. As you speak with God about this you will feel yourself taking steps, steps that are drawing you closer to God not more distant. Tell God you’re sorry and that you need His blessed presence in your life. He is your Heavenly Father and just like your Earthly Father, He will forgive you. He will forgive you with a love that transcends anything you could ever possibly imagine.
Today stop the running from God. Jacob tried to run from God, but God found Him easily. God sees you where you are at today and He longs to be near to you. To love you and to minister to your great needs. Stop running and draw near to God. It is never too late.
If you are reading this, you are being prayed for. May your relationship with the Father today be one of joy, closeness and goodness.
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